Discrimination legal aid in England and Wales
Discrimination legal aid covers claims under the Equality Act 2010 where someone has been treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic. It covers claims about goods and services, education, and public functions. Most employment discrimination claims go to the Employment Tribunal rather than legal aid.
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Showing 22 of 32 Discrimination providers from the LAA's directory. Why?
About this category
What is Discrimination legal aid?
Who discrimination legal aid is for
The Equality Act 2010 protects nine "protected characteristics": age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, and marriage or civil partnership. If you've been treated less favourably because of one of these, you may have a discrimination claim.
Discrimination legal aid covers a specific subset of these claims: those that go through the County Court (rather than the Employment Tribunal) and concern goods and services, education, or the exercise of public functions. Means and merits tests apply.
Employment-related discrimination is a major area of discrimination law but it's mostly handled outside legal aid, through the Employment Tribunal system with help from ACAS, trade unions, and free advice services.
What's covered
Discrimination legal aid is in scope for:
- Goods and services: discrimination by a shop, hotel, restaurant, transport provider, gym, hairdresser, or any other business that provides goods or services to the public.
- Education: discrimination by a school, college, or university (separately from the Education legal aid category, which deals with statutory education rights).
- Public functions: discrimination by a public body in the way it carries out its functions (excluding employment, immigration, and prison matters which have their own routes).
- Housing services: discrimination in the provision of housing, including private rentals, social housing allocation, and decisions about housing services.
- Associations: discrimination by clubs and associations with 25 or more members.
- Harassment: where the discriminatory conduct includes harassment as defined in the Equality Act.
Claims typically go to the County Court and need to be brought within 6 months of the act complained of. Some can also go to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's investigation route.
How to apply
Discrimination cases are evidence-heavy and often turn on subtle questions of comparison ("treated less favourably than someone without the protected characteristic would have been"). A specialist discrimination solicitor will assess the evidence, advise on whether the claim is realistic, and help bring it.
Where the discrimination is employment-related, the route is usually different: ACAS Early Conciliation, then the Employment Tribunal. Trade unions, the Equality Advisory Support Service, and free advice services often help with these claims.
Find a solicitor
Featured Discrimination providers
A selection of firms on our platform holding an active Discrimination contract. View the full list of Discrimination solicitors with legal aid.
Where they are based
Discrimination providers by region
Listed Discrimination providers grouped by region and postcode area. Counts show distinct providers with at least one office in that area.
East of England 1
North East 1
North West 8
South East 1
South West 1
Wales 1
West Midlands 2
Yorkshire and The Humber 4
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Probably not for the employment claim itself. Employment discrimination claims go to the Employment Tribunal, which is outside legal aid scope. ACAS provides free conciliation; trade unions, the Equality Advisory Support Service, and free advice services often help with representation. Where the employment discrimination intersects with another protected matter (a public-body decision, a service refusal), the non-employment elements may be covered by Discrimination legal aid.
The Equality Act lists nine: age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, and marriage or civil partnership. To bring a discrimination claim you need to show you've been treated less favourably because of one of these characteristics.
That's a clear discrimination in services claim. A discrimination legal aid solicitor can help bring a claim in the County Court for an injunction (preventing recurrence), a declaration that the conduct was unlawful, and damages. Time limits are short (usually 6 months), so contact a solicitor promptly.
Yes, potentially. Discrimination in the provision of education is covered. There may also be a separate route through the Education category (special educational needs and disability tribunal appeals). A specialist solicitor will advise which route, or combination, is right.
Hate crime is a criminal matter, prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service. It's separate from civil discrimination claims. If you've been the victim of hate crime, you can report it to the police; the civil discrimination route runs alongside, not instead of, the criminal one.